by M. J. Haag
Demon Fall
M.J. Haag
Copyright © 2021 Melissa Haag
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without express written permission from the author.
ISBN 978-1-943051-63-2 (eBook Edition)
ISBN 978-1-63869-012-2 (Paperback Edition)
The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarities to real persons, living or dead, are coincidental and not intended by the author.
Editing by Ulva Eldridge
Cover design by Shattered Glass Publishing LLC
© Depositphotos.com
Version 2021.10.11
Contents
Blurb
What has happened before…
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Epilogue
Author’s Note
What was Adam thinking?
More books by MJ Haag
Demon Fall
Love isn’t blind; it’s devastating.
June had her future all planned out, and it never involved hiding in a bunker with her long-term boyfriend during what felt like the end of the world. In fact, surviving the zombie apocalypse never even entered the picture. Yet, that’s exactly what fate gave her.
A game of survival. One horror after another. But, at least she’s not alone. At least she has Adam…until she doesn’t.
Heartbroken, June wishes she could face the apocalypse on her own, but she’s seen what’s out there. Infected that are smart enough to fake what they are, and the hellhounds are determined to kill every last human. If she wants to survive, she’ll need help from the dark creatures who rescued her from the bunker.
She’ll need a fey, and Tor is just the man for the job.
To all of us who are just trying to survive…
What has happened before…
More than two months ago, earthquakes unleashed hellhounds on an unsuspecting mankind. The bite of a hound changes humans, turning people into flesh-craving infected.
The hellhounds weren’t the only things to emerge from the earthen caverns. Demon men with grey skin and reptilian eyes have been trapped underground for thousands of years. They alone can kill the hellhounds and help bring a stop to the plague. They only ask for one thing in return: a chance to meet women who might be willing to love them as they are.
Prologue
3 years before the quakes…
The first time they meet.
I tightened my grip on the books I juggled in my arms and tried not to drop my fresh latte as I power-walked toward Building C’s main door. Other students crossed the commons in their rush to get to their next classes. Or maybe, if they were anything like my roommates, they were escaping campus for a nap.
“Hey, June!” a girl shouted with a wave. “Great party last night.”
I smiled in acknowledgement and caught the door with my foot as someone left the building. My latte jostled.
“Here, let me get that for you.”
A hand reached around me and grabbed the door. I looked up into the bluest pair of eyes I’d ever seen. He was tall and broad-shouldered with short, sandy-blonde hair and an amazing smile.
“Thanks,” I said after a stunned moment of silence on my part.
His gaze swept over my face, and I knew what he was seeing—facial features passed down to me from my Taiwanese grandmother, a heart-shaped face with dark eyes highlighted by darker lashes, smooth skin, and long black hair.
“Wow. You’re so pretty.”
His immediate blush stopped me from walking away because it showed his sincerity.
“That’s nice of you to say so. I’m smart, too.”
A devastating grin lit his face.
“Is there any chance you’d want to grab a coffee sometime?”
“Maybe. Write your number down for me.”
He hurriedly dug in his backpack for a paper and pen. I walked away with a note that had his number and his name. Adam.
My pulse skipped at the thought of calling him. I probably wouldn’t. I had a plan, a career to chase, a future laid out before me that didn’t involve a relationship just yet. But I could dream.
3 years before the quakes…
The nudge of fate?
This paper was going to be the death of me. I’d thought taking Myth and Literature for my English credits would be fun because it was “fiction,” obviously. But no, the professor was sucking all the joy out of what had once been my secret love.
I considered my laptop screen and shifted uncomfortably in my chair. Given the state of my room back at the house, I’d snuck away to the library for focus. It was quieter and much cleaner than what I’d left behind. However, my backside was far from cozy.
Smothering another yawn, I tried to concentrate on the words I’d written even as my mind wandered to last night’s party my roommates had thrown. If not for that and the poor night’s sleep, the paper would have already been done.
I really needed to find new roommates. A sigh escaped me.
“You,” a voice said.
Cringing with the belief I was about to be scolded for the noise I’d made, I looked up and met a familiar set of blue eyes. My cringe disappeared, replaced by disbelief.
“I thought I’d never see you again,” he said. “I can’t tell you how many times I hung out by Building C’s door in the last two months.”
“Sounds a little creepy.”
He grabbed a chair on the opposite side of the table, spun it around, and sat on it, facing me.
“Didn’t have much of a choice. Someone never called me.”
“Someone’s busy.” I lifted my laptop a little to emphasize the point.
“Fine. Tell me your name, and I’ll go away.”
“Still creepy.”
“I’m going to have to get a lot creepier and start begging for your name at the top of my lungs in the middle of this library.”
I looked around at the other mostly empty tables, met his gaze, and shrugged. He grinned in response, not even a little put off.
“You are a tough one. It’s only going to make me more determined.”
“Why? You’re a good-looking guy. I’m sure you could find someone more willing.”
He leaned back, studying me for a moment.
“Maybe,” he said finally. “But I have a feeling, if I gave up now, I’d regret it for the rest of my life.”
Oh, he was good. So good that I gave him what he wanted.
“My name’s June.”
“June. Will you meet me here again tomorrow night? Same time?”
“Maybe,” I said, repeating his phrase.
3 years before the quakes…
He’s all that
Adam dropped back and threw a twenty-five-yard pass. The crowd went wild when the receiver caught it and sprinted toward the end zone. I jumped up and down in the stands, cheering so hard that I knew I wouldn’t be able to talk the next day.
It took almost an hour for him to appear. When he did, the smile that lit his face was contagious.
“There’s my beautiful lady.” He picked me up and hugged me close as he spun us. Laughing, I wrapped my arms around his neck and hung on until he stopped.
“I like when you win,” I said when he finally put me down.
“Not only win but win while a scout was watching. That’s why I was late. He stopped me to talk. They’re watching me, June. Two more years, and you’ll be marketing me to all the major teams.”
“I don’t think you’ll need any marketing. Now, the underwear you endorse, maybe.”
He lightly kissed the tip of my nose and threaded his fingers through mine. My heart raced, and I hurried to follow him to his truck.
We were in his dorm room fifteen minutes later. Dropping his duffle by the door, he pulled my shirt off and kissed my collarbone with passion. This was the best part of a winning game night. Adam liked to ride the high of his wins with some of the best sex ever.
He walked me back to his bunk, already tearing at his pants. I laughed and fell onto the mattress, shimmying out of my clothes. He sidetracked for a second to grab a condom from the drawer beside his bed.
“We need to go shopping,” he said. “I’ll use up the two that are left before the night’s over.”
Any response to that evaporated when he kissed me hard and slid home. The first round was fast for him, but he changed condoms and started again. The second time was always for me. The third was just because he could.
Forty-five minutes later, we lay in a tangled, sweaty heap. The sound of our rapid breathing filled the room for a while, neither of us capable of speaking yet. Sex with Adam was amazing. My other two partners had been one and done types. Maybe it was the newness of this part of our relationship, but I sincerely hoped not.
“Hey, do you want to go fishing tomorrow or hiking?”
I shook my head and looked up at him.
“Why do you even ask when we both know you’re going to talk me into both?”
He chuckled and kissed my forehead again.
“That’s my girl.”
1 year before the quakes…
Meet the parents
He rocked into me rhythmically, hitting my sweet spot again and again. I could feel myself climbing toward what I was sure would be the most mind-blowing orgasm to end all orgasms.
He paused.
“Hold on. Cramp.”
The feeling started to fade no matter how much I tried to stay focused on where I’d been. By the time he’d stretched out his calf and started rocking once more, it was like starting over. For me, not for him. He twitched inside of me, and I knew he was getting close.
“You with me, babe?”
“I’m with you,” I lied. If I didn’t, he would try to keep going, probably get another leg cramp just as I was getting close again, and we’d both get frustrated. Then neither of us would be satisfied. This was the better option once he started cramping.
He finished with a few shallow thrusts while I kissed his shoulder. He groaned and lifted his head to look down at me.
“You didn’t finish. It was the leg cramp, wasn’t it?”
I grinned at him, and he playfully shook his head and started kissing his way down my neck like I’d known he would do once he realized I hadn’t finished too.
“I knew I should have stretched first. You were too tempting lying there sleeping like that, though.”
My smile widened when he reached my hips and gave me a little kiss.
“I’m glad you didn’t resist. Your mouth on me is my favorite way to wake up.” Sometimes though, like this morning, he left far too much spit behind. As if I didn’t know what he was doing. But that extra lubrication so he could fast track to getting inside of me made me feel like a dog’s chew toy. Not that I was complaining. Even a little bit of oral was worth it.
He chuckled and set his mouth on me again. In minutes, I was gasping and back to the place I’d been when he was inside of me.
“Almost there, babe?” he mumbled as he worked, knowing better than to remove his tongue.
“So close.”
I shattered a minute later. He retreated from his spot between my legs and stood with a stretch.
“Almost had a tongue cramp, too. I better up my magnesium.”
My bones were liquid and my brain too mellow to care what he was saying.
“Hey, what do you think about going out of town this weekend? I’m going home for a few days.”
That caught my attention. In the two-and-a-half years we’d been together, I’d never met his parents in person. Sure, I’d said hi in the background when his mom called. Or managed to wave if they did a video call. But I hadn’t been introduced, officially, in person.
“For real?” I asked, sitting up and looking at him.
“Yeah. It’s about time, don’t you think?” He grinned at me, his boyish smile melting my heart even as it raced.
“Yes. It is about time, and yes, I’d love to meet your parents.”
We’d been living together since last May. Now, two weeks before our final year, I was finally going home with him. Excitement and anticipation filled me because I knew what meeting his parents meant. And I couldn’t wait.
A few days later, I not only met his parents but also his aunts, uncles, cousins, and brother at a backyard cookout in Missouri.
I lost count of how many people hugged me and said, “Welcome to the family.” My mind was already racing with when and how Adam would propose. He liked attention, so I fully expected it to happen at any moment as the evening wore on. But then, the first person left. And after that, the number of people slowly dwindled. Maybe Adam meant the moment to be private. The idea warmed me as I helped his mom with the clean-up.
When it was just his parents and us, he kissed my forehead, took my hand, and led me to the room we’d share. My heart was racing.
“They loved you. Uncle Jack even gave us an open invitation to come down and see his farm. I know that probably doesn’t seem like a big deal, but trust me, it is.”
“Everything about today was a big deal for me. Thank you for this.”
“Just wait until tomorrow.”
It took forever for me to fall asleep, but all those nerves were for nothing when the next day turned out to be a day hunting with his dad. I managed to keep my disappointment to myself through the remainder of the evening and the following morning when we packed up.
“You’ve been pretty quiet,” Adam commented, thirty minutes into the drive back to the university. “Did something happen?”
“No. Nothing happened. But I thought something was going to.”
“What do you mean?”
“I thought you had another reason for taking me home this weekend.”
“Something other than meeting my family, the thing you’ve been after me to do over a year now?” He glanced at me, his expression going from confused to “lightbulb.”
“Oh. Oh, man, June. I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were going to think that. I mean, we’re still in school, you know? And we don’t know where I’m going to end up and where your job is going to take you—”
“Whoa. Are you saying you don’t think we’re in a long-term relationship?”
“Of course not. We are. We both know that. I’m just saying I didn’t think marriage was going to be something we’d think about for another five to ten years.”
I stared at him for a long moment.
“Ten years? I’m going to be thirty-two in ten years, Adam. I thought we’d want to be married a few years before bringing kids into the equation.”
“Kids?” He glanced at me again. “What if I sign with another team? Are you going to want to uproot a family like that?”
He knew me well enough to know living apart wouldn’t be an option for me.
“Family is about the people in your life, not about the location. Yes, we’d move to be with you. You love football. It’s who you are, and having kids won’t hold your career back. Kids mean you’re giving me a little piece of yourself to love when you’re away.”
He shook his head and smiled at me.
“You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, June, and I’ll be honest. I never saw myself with kids. But, with you, I can. One, though…maybe two if the first one’s a girl who looks like you.”
I smiled at him and reached out to set my hand on his leg, a familiar driving routine for us. I enjoyed touching, and he liked to be touched.
He threaded his fingers through mine.
“I’m sorry this weekend was a disappointment,” he said sincerely. “I do want to marry you, June, and I promise not to make you wait ten years. Can we wait until after I’m signed?”
“I think I have enough patience for that.”
“And a kid after a few years?”
“Just so you don’t make me wait too long for the ring.”
“You got it, babe.”
The day of the quakes…
For love of June